[no subject]

["hironaka@xxxxxxxxx"<hironaka@xxxxxxxxx>]

I hate the Celtics. Watching them play like fairies and 
girlie-men on defense for three quarters and deservedly 
blow this game showed me a lot about their questionable 
character.

There were again redeeming qualities in the clockwork-
like disgraceful ESPN/ABC performances by the Celtics. We 
are a team that relies entirely on lucky if indefatigable 
Antoine play merely to stay within 7 to 10 points of 
ultimately going nowhere opponents, that still being all 
that prevented us tonight from getting torched by a 
sickening thirty points as per usual in front of live 
national audiences. 

I can put midseason slumps in perspective, but calling 
the 3-6 Celtics "overrated" gives us too much credit. Its 
a matter of heart. We completely wasted several uncommon 
offensive performances again with team defense so 
disgusting even Pitino's career .470 FG% allowed would be 
a massive upgrade. I'd take that in a NY minute over how 
we are playing now. Its been a terrible month and I'm 
glad I missed seeing most of this actual horseshit live 
on TV. I shouldn't take it personally, but seeing it even 
once in awhile makes me sick to my stomach. Everything 
bad about the NBA, we personify it.

The only positive in this game was a slight intimation 
that Kedrick Brown will be a regular crunch-time 4Q 
player for some team, despite his flaws and possibly 
insurmountable inexperience in terms of court sense. He 
has the distinctive body balance stance as well as 
defensive explosiveness of a Sonics-era Dennis Johnson. 
When he was in there, I felt the Celtics closed within 
range of maximum defensive credentials, which also tends 
to translate into greater confidence and explosive team 
output on the other end. The kid finally showed a bit of 
presence out there.

Both McCarty and Kedrick are capable of igniting team 
momentum off the defensive end or else disappointing the 
team with their cluelessness on both ends, and it is Obie 
Kenobe's job to figure out who deserves to play in the 4Q 
of games. They have rare skills as well as painful 
stupidity and fallibility. In general, all our players 
including the captains are fallible and flawed.

Portland, now 9-1 in the last ten games, showed what 53 
million more in payroll can do for you when trouncing NBA 
minnows.

I'd like to leave it at that, but it hurts to watch the 
Celtics play like sissies in this 3-6 run. I call them 
sissies because I don't want to admit that they are 
vastly disappointing and playing over their heads. If you 
allow 50% shooting over a ten game stretch or so, you 
deserve a worse fate. Luck has actually been on our side.

The first time I was old enough to follow the Celtics in 
minute notebook-filling detail was in a 29-win year  
built around Cornbread Maxwell, Jeff Judkins and McAdoo-
doo. So if they suck that bad again not a thing will 
falter in terms of my interest in the team, as the last 
decade proves for everyone on this list. But I hate the 
Celtics right now for tonight's performance. I haven't 
seen the numbers crunched, but they may be the worst 
defensive team in the NBA right now during this stretch. 
To state the obvious, no amount of offensive heroics will 
save this team from losing consistently. They better 
realize this. Or else realize it is hopeless talent-wise 
on defense and give up on making the playoffs and a 
certain first round elimination right now. This was a 
game I wanted so badly for the Celtics to walk home. I'm 
now able to accept that we suck, if that has to be the 
case. 


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